Predatory publishers and how to avoid them

Jeffery Beall is at it again. His latest statement on social justice warrior librarians betraying the academy will no doubt lend more fuel to the fire for OA advocates. Beall and his work has inextricably linked Open Access journals with predatory publishers. They are by no means exclusive and are very separate facets to the dodecahedron that is scholarly publishing.

So let’s separate the two out – you CAN publish in open access journals AND avoid predatory publishing outlets. How? Too easy – use your common sense and digital literacy. If you smell a rat, well, it’s probably a rat. And if it’s too good to be true…

For a more in depth look at how to choose a reputable publisher check out my colleagues Susan Shrubb and Andy Pleffer post ‘Not the Beall and end-all‘ in the AOASG blog.